The Grand Finale

Annual Agricultural Fair - August 30

By Justin Papp

Family, service, and agriculture are the pillars on which the Cannon Grange stands. Wilton’s chapter of the Connecticut State Grange has been a major resource for Wilton’s agricultural community since its formation in 1899. This year’s August 30, 2015 Agricultural Fair, held along the banks of the Norwalk River at Grange Hall marks the 83rd annual celebration of the organization.

Among the fair’s main attractions are its juried exhibitions, in which fair-goers partake in good-spirited competition for supremacy in categories like best baked good, best flowers, best fruits and vegetables––even best eggs. Only one in each category will be honored with the Purple Rosette for “Best in Show” but all leave a minimum of an honorable mention. This year’s baking competition will finally provide an answer to the oft-asked question: Who has the best-iced carrot cake in all of Wilton?

Photography and hand-made arts and crafts are on display and available for purchase, as are small farm animals. A wide variety of local vendors and civic organizations set up shop at the fair to either dish out heaps of delicious food, or heaps of awareness-raising information. The Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps will keep fairgoers safe at their first-aid station and offer ambulance tours for kids along with free blood pressure readings. “The Fair is the grand finale to summer fun in Wilton,” says Don Offinger. Who would want to miss that?